


I Dare You

by CatrinaSL



Series: Marry Me [9]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Awkward Flirting, Awkwardness, Darcy & Steve BroTP, F/M, Girls' Night, Marriage Proposal, Mild Bagel Theft, SHIP DARCY WITH ALL THE THINGS, SHIP FURY WITH ALL THE THINGS, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Texting, Truth or Dare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2016-07-25
Packaged: 2018-07-26 13:44:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7576174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatrinaSL/pseuds/CatrinaSL
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It started with a Dare. It ended (five marriage proposals later) with Darcy's Soulmate.</p><hr/><p>They played Would You Rather; Wed, Bed, Behead; and Truth or Dare.</p><p>The high point was when Darcy dared Steve to take off his shirt.</p><p>The low point was when Maria dared everyone to casually propose marriage to the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. the next time they saw him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Dare You

**Author's Note:**

> Soulmate AU Reminder: Everyone has a Soulmark, a tattoo of the first words their Soulmate will say to them. Showing someone else your Soulmark is like baring your soul to them, so most people only show their Soulmate or very trusted friends.

Tony had just put the finishing touches on the new and improved Stark Tower, and was insisting on calling it “Avengers Tower,” so of course, there  _ had  _ to be a party.

Originally, it was styled as a “Veterans of the Battle of New York” gathering, and everyone promised to come. Natasha invited Jane and Darcy, assuring them that they were welcome despite having been on the other side of the world at the time. Commander Hill was coming, she said, and the S.H.I.E.L.D. officer wanted to meet them.

But Fury was “busy running an entire covert organization, Stark! I don’t have time to step out on the town whenever you whistle!”

And then Tony had a science emergency in Malibu, leaving Pepper behind to attend an important meeting in the city the next day.

Bruce was barricaded in his lab, close to a breakthrough.

Clint was on a deep cover mission.

Thor was needed on Asgard.

When Steve arrived and saw that the room was full of women laughing and sipping variously shaded cocktails, he sighed, plopped down on the couch, and asked for “anything, as long as it comes with an umbrella.”

It went downhill from there.

Natasha chilled everyone with a horror story about the time she had gone undercover as a high school science teacher for S.H.I.E.L.D.

Pepper painted everyone's toenails. 

Steve braided everyone's hair.

They played Would You Rather; Wed, Bed, Behead; and Truth or Dare.

The high point was when Darcy dared Steve to take off his shirt.

The low point was when Maria dared everyone to casually propose marriage to the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. the next time they saw him.

“That’s never happening,” Steve stated, pulling on his shirt. In the chorus of disappointment which then deluged him were a mix of objections to his previous but preferred state of half-nakedness and challenges to his level of dedication to the game.

“You gotta,” Jane informed him sagely, from the far side of her sixth tequila sunrise. “Or you’ll have to pay the penalty.”

Steve looked as though he thought that asking Nick Fury to marry him would be worse than whatever hell the five women staring at him could dream up. “Is there a time limit on this?”

“Here’s how we’ll do it:” said Maria, taking charge. “You’ll only have to pay the penalty if you definitely chicken out. Within reason, though; see him once and lose your nerve, fine, but if you walk past Nick Fury twice without letting him know he’s marriage material, you fail.”

“This is totally unfair,” Natasha observed.

“Well, obviously you and Steve have better access to the Director,” Maria replied with an evil grin. “So we’ll just get your results that much faster.”

“I’ve never even met this guy,” Darcy objected. “Isn’t he, like... terrifying?” 

Pepper, Steve, and Hill nodded. “Absolutely,” Maria informed her.

“Okay, so… what about you?” Steve asked Maria. “You’re doing this too, right?”

Hill scoffed. “I’m the one who issued the challenge; I’m exempt. Darcy didn’t take her shirt off when she dared you to lose yours.”

Steve shot a look at Darcy, who covered her chest protectively with both arms, causing his face to ignite in a blush.

“I am wearing a really cute bra, though;” Darcy told Pepper. “Wanna see?”

“That’s my cue,” Steve blurted, vaulting over the back of the couch and heading for the exit.

“A dare is a dare, Captain!” Hill called after him.

* * *

Five days later, the text notification on Darcy’s phone exploded. She looked across the lab to see Jane clutching her own phone, shaking in a fit of silent laughter.

“Mass text,” was all she could draw out of the astrophysicist, so Darcy picked up her phone to see what all the fuss was about.

_ Natasha _ : i think steve wanted to make sure he had a witness so none of us could call him out for proof

_ Pepper _ : pics or it didnt happen?

_ Jane _ : ROFL!!!

_ Natasha _ : after everyone else left the briefing steve slapped fury’s ass and asked him if he wanted to celebrate freedom with him

_ Maria _ : Doesn’t count. Boss will just think the captain wants to sleep with him

_ Jane _ : LMAO!!!

_ Natasha _ : he clarified.

_ Pepper _ : details plz

_ Darcy _ : I think Jane is about to transform into an actualfax roflcopter

_ Natasha _ : steve stood there babbling about how he was glad that the law allows people to marry whoever they want and how hard it was to live with that kind of thing in the past and fury just told him he wasn’t interested

_ Natasha _ : and then steve ran away

_ Maria _ : I don’t know if we can count that

_ Jane _ : LMFAO!!!

_ Pepper _ : hes done his best.

_ Natasha _ : fury asked me if he was drunk or if we got into any toxic gases on mission

_ Darcy _ : Yeah, we should call that good. You did good, Cap.

_ Steve _ : If anyone needs me I’ll be in the showers

_ Steve _ : dying

_ Steve _ : of embarrassment and the loss of the respect I earned from my peers

_ Steve _ : I hope you’re happy Hill

_ Jane _ : LOL  


* * *

The only texts Darcy got in the “Marry Fury” mass text over the next few weeks were a couple from Maria and Jane, egging Natasha on. The super-spy had made good use of her skills in avoiding the Director, and claimed that he would get suspicious if she were to propose to him so soon after Steve’s debacle. Apparently, she was determined to let someone else go first.

Six weeks to the day after their pact was formed, Darcy’s mass text alert went off.

_ Pepper _ : so that was the most terrifying moment of my life

_ Jane _ : OMG WHAT

_ Maria _ : The ballsy CEO of SI just told Fury he was a catch and to give her a call if he ever wanted to settle down.

_ Jane _ : YOU’RE JOKING

_ Steve _ : Okay it is funny from this side

_ Steve _ : I see that now

_ Pepper _ : i am never playing truth or dare with you people ever again

_ Jane _ : LOL

_ Maria: _ I wouldn’t get too comfortable Dr Foster. We are headed your way

_ Darcy _ : ROFL

* * *

True to her word, Maria Hill and Nick Fury walked into the lab less than ninety seconds later. Darcy ducked covertly behind a lab bench. Then she silenced her phone, leaning out a little to peek at her boss and watch as she frantically tried to do the same.

Despite her advanced degrees, Jane had never even been able to figure out how to change her ringtone; Darcy had no idea how she expected to keep her phone quiet during the event of the season:  _ Jane Proposes to Nick Fury: a Live Text, by Darcy _ .

After speaking for a few minutes with Doctor Banner, Fury and Hill strolled over to Jane and asked how her research was going. Jane began to speak at top speed, getting through an overview of her scientific discoveries since the last time S.H.I.E.L.D. had checked in.

_ Darcy _ : I think Jane is talking faster than normal.

Hill stepped away from Fury and Jane to check the text, then glanced over and spotted Darcy in her super secret hiding place.

_ Maria:  _ I didn’t understand most of what she just said.

_ Darcy _ : Welcome to Jane Land

_ Pepper _ : less chatter more specifics

“Do you need to get that?” Fury asked Jane, nodding at her phone.

“Oh, no, it’s probably just… my Zumba class… talking about… meeting for smoothies later or something,” Jane invented wildly.

_ Darcy _ : She doesn’t even take Zumba

_ Maria _ : I prefer pilates

_ Natasha _ : what is she saying?

“So…” Jane began, leaning forward a little the way she always did when she was trying to be alluring and flirty. “You’re pretty impressive. You’re, like, in charge of everything, and… tall.”

Darcy held back the giggles threatening to expose her position.

_ Darcy _ : She’s complimenting him.

_ Darcy _ : SO AWKWARD

_ Maria _ : She just put her hand on his arm

“Wow, you’re so… fit! I bet you work out a lot.”

Fury was giving Jane a look, but Darcy wasn’t sure if he wanted to shoot her or chuck her in the loony bin.

“You’re gonna make some lucky girl very happy someday!”

He gave Jane a small smile. “Thank you for saying so, Doctor Foster.”

_ Darcy _ : She’s gonna ask him!

“Do you think that maybe…” Jane took a deep breath. “You and me…?”

The Director put his hands in his pockets and looked down at his shoes.

_ Maria _ : Going for the polite refusal, sir

_ Maria _ : Classy

“I’m very flattered, but I don’t think it would work out.”

_ Darcy _ : He’s very flattered but doesn’t think it would work out!

_ Natasha _ : how hilarious would it be if he said yes

_ Pepper _ : thor would be jealous

_ Maria _ : I’d pay good money to see that fight

Fury called to Hill and nodded to Banner on his way out of the room.

Jane rubbernecked for Darcy and then picked up her phone.

_ Jane _ : DARCY YOU TRAITOR

_ Jane _ : WHERE ARE YOU EVEN HIDING

_ Jane _ : I THINK I MIGHT ACTUALLY DIE

_ Steve _ : lol

* * *

The next several weeks were very uneventful on the mass text/marriage proposal front, but when Darcy finally got another message, it was underwhelming.

_ Natasha _ : i did it and he just told me to get back to work

_ Pepper _ : pics or it didnt happen

_ Steve: _ Hill were you there? Did anybody see?

_ Maria _ : We’re not always going to see it happen

_ Natasha _ : surveillance footage

_ Natasha _ : we were just outside his office if you want to double check

_ Steve _ : How did I know yours wouldn’t be funny Nat

_ Darcy _ : Maybe he was put off by the code name?

_ Darcy _ : Black Widow?

_ Jane _ : LOL

_ Maria _ : I’m in the middle of a meeting. I’ll look into it and let you know after

Twenty minutes later, Darcy’s mass text alert went off, and she clicked on the short video that Hill had sent.

“I’ve been thinking recently about marriage, Sir,” Natasha said, straight to the point and businesslike, as Fury stepped out of his office and closed the door behind him.

“Seems like quite a few people have, Romanov. What is it that you want to say?”

Natasha squared her shoulders and cleared her throat. “There aren’t many people I would trust enough to actually marry them, Sir, but you—”

Fury shook his head. “Natasha…” he interrupted, rubbing at his brow with one hand. “Just... Get back to work.”

_ Pepper _ : natasha and fury sitting in a tree 

_ Pepper _ : K I s s I N g

_ Jane _ : ROTFL

* * *

“There is no way you are getting out of taking me to lunch, Rogers,” Darcy informed him, dragging him bodily away from the brand new game console that Tony had just bought for him. “I don’t care what imaginary bad guys need blowing up.”

“I gotta stay sharp!” Steve protested, but went to grab his jacket.

“So,” he said as he parked his motorcycle outside Darcy’s favorite sandwich place. “You’re the last of us. What are you gonna do?”

Darcy shrugged. “I don’t know; I’m kicking myself for not, like, sneaking downstairs that day after Jane made a fool of herself and just getting it overwith. Now, it’s like, he’s never in New York, and after what happened...” Steve laughed. “Yeah, I don’t think he’s going to be coming to the lab on his next visit. So maybe hopefully never?”

“Maybe hopefully,” Steve repeated. “But hiding from him in the lab counts as your one strike, doesn’t it? The next time you see him—”

“If I ever see him,” Darcy broke in.

“If you ever see him,” Steve continued. “You’re going to have to ask. Otherwise I hate to think what the rest of us are going to come up with as punishment after what we’ve all been through.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Darcy admitted. “Now I almost envy Jane her awkward proposal.”

“I notice you don’t envy  _ me _ ,” he said.

“Yeah, no, I’ll take whatever hell you guys descend upon me if I fail over  _ that _ embarrassing debacle. Has he looked you in the eye since?”

Steve shook his head, but he was smiling.

They stood in line to order, and had just found a table on the sidewalk outside when Darcy caught a familiar newsie cap out of the corner of her eye.

Steve had just put about half of his sandwich in his mouth when Darcy pointed and gasped, “Oh my  _ Thor _ , is that him?!”

Before Steve could turn around, Darcy was off. Instead of going after her, he was forced to try to calm down a patron at the table next to them, who claimed that Darcy had stolen her food.

_ Steve _ : Darcy thought she saw Fury and took off after him

_ Jane _ : OMG

_ Maria _ : Steve, you have to go after her

_ Natasha _ : there will be no video of this!

_ Natasha _ : go go

_ Steve _ : I would have except this lady was hitting me with her purse and I don’t even know which way they went

_ Natasha _ : quit wasting time texting it takes you forever

_ Pepper _ : where are you

_ Steve _ : Brooklyn

_ Jane _ : DARCY WHATS HAPPENING

_ Jane _ : WHERE ARE YOU

_ Steve _ : I’ll see if I can find them

_ Steve _ : Keep you posted

_ Darcy _ : He’s my Soulmate

_ Steve _ : Darcy where are you

_ Steve _ : Which way did you go?

_ Pepper _ : wait what

_ Pepper _ : soulmate

_ Pepper _ : are you serious

_ Darcy _ : Nobody better have taken my sandwich, Cap

_ Darcy _ : If you can’t trust an Avenger to guard your sandwich, who can you trust?

_ Jane _ : DARCY WHAT IS HAPPENING

_ Maria _ : I will be there in five hours

_ Maria _ : traffic permitting

_ Jane _ : SOULMATE??

_ Steve _ : Found her, bringing her home now

_ Darcy _ : I can’t believe you lost my sandwich

_ Natasha _ : what do you mean hes your soulmate

* * *

 

“Why didn’t you tell us you were in New York?!” Jane demanded that evening, when they had all assembled in Darcy’s apartment.

“ _ I _ wasn’t,” Hill explained. “And Fury disappears sometimes. It’s what he  _ does _ .”

“So you had no idea he was here?”

Hill shook her head. “None.”

“Darcy, sweetie, are you all right?” came Pepper’s voice from the video call on Natasha’s phone.

“Fine,” Darcy replied, pasting on a fake smile for the camera.

“What about you, Hill?” Steve asked. “Are you afraid for your job?”

“Honestly?” The brunette grimaced. “Kinda, yeah.”

“You don’t think he—” Jane began.

“He knew,” Natasha interrupted. “Had to.”

Steve stuck his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall.

“None of us were very subtle when we asked,” Pepper pointed out. “There  _ were _ cameras to record the whole Truth or Dare thing.”

“Then he’ll know that my toenails were orange for three weeks,” Steve said.

“Dude,  _ you asked him to marry you _ . If Fury doesn’t care about that, he won’t care that a girl gave you a pedicure.”

“Best french braid of my life,” Jane said. Hill made a small sound of agreement, and Natasha laughed.

Then there was a knock on the door.

It swung open, revealing the smug face of Tony Stark. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to interrupt,” he said. “Is this the bi-weekly meeting of the Future Mrs. Nick Fury Club? I’d like to join.”

Steve began to bash the back of his head against the wall.

Tony gave Steve a look of disappointment and sighed. “Fangirls. Try not to take it out on the architecture, Sweetheart.”

Darcy was well aware that Steve considered his involvement in this particular situation to be Tony’s fault; he had ranted to her more than once that if Tony hadn’t ditched the party, or if there hadn’t  _ been _ a party in the first place, that he would never have had to go through any of this. Darcy saw Steve draw in a breath and open his mouth to start yelling.

But at that moment, the coveted Mr. Fury entered the room.

Darcy was speechless.

Thankfully, Steve quickly turned his annoyance with Tony into ‘concerned BFF’ energy. He held off on telling Tony how he really felt long enough to send Natasha, Jane, and Hill packing and to shove Tony out the door in front of him, but Darcy could hear a stern tone from the hallway the second she and her Soulmate were alone.

“I can’t believe you tried to propose to me with a bagel,” he said, after a moment of silence.

She looked up at him, standing in front of her looking completely at his ease, hands in his pockets.

“ _ I _ can’t believe maple cream cheese is your favorite.”

“ _ You’re _ the one who bought it,” he said, absentmindedly scanning the room. “I thought it was fate.”

Darcy raised her eyebrow at him. “I  _ stole  _ it. It was the nearest ring-like object.”

Her Soulmate took a moment to absorb that information. “I can’t believe you tried to propose to me with a  _ stolen _ bagel,” he said finally.

“So what now?” she asked. “Happily ever after, or something?”

Nick smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> This is definitely the first Soulmate fic I’ve written where the Words exchange happens offscreen. FYI, he was walking fast and almost out of sight, so Darcy yelled, “Nick! Marry me!” He turned around and the crowd parted (because fate) and she was down on one knee, holding out the bagel. He took it from her and bit into it, and looked at her, then back at the bagel, and said, “My favorite. How did you know?” _And then he walked away._
> 
> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/147951963713/i-dare-you)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


End file.
